ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Since enactment of a statute on 4 March 2002 to allow patients direct access to their medical files, the number of requests for these files has increased substantially. The objective of this survey was to learn the patients' motivations for requesting files, what they did with them once they received them, and the effects of this direct access on the patient and on the relationship and confidentiality between physician and patient. METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to 100 persons randomly selected among patients requesting their medical file from the Dijon University Hospital Center after the new law became effective. RESULTS: The response rate to this survey was 58%. In 75% of the cases, patients requested their own medical files. Their reasons varied: curiosity (38%), transfer of the file to another physician (35%), disagreement with the medical team (12%), death of a family member (10%). After receiving the file, 35% of the respondents read it with a physician and 13% with their attorney. In two thirds of the cases, the medical files were transmitted directly to a third party: physician (51%), attorney (34%), or insurance company (20%). The file provided patients with the information they wanted in 79% of cases and allowed them to sue the physician in 12%. Only a quarter of the persons requesting files met with the physician concerned before making their request. CONCLUSION: The disclosure of secret medical information can lead to serious consequences to patients, of which they are not necessarily aware. This may require that clear information about patient-doctor confidentiality be provided to persons requesting files.
